Remote Medical Coder Jobs Pros and Cons

In October, 2015 ICD-10 launched throughout the US. Because this new medical coding standard has over 140,000 codes compared to the system that has been in place for decades, ICD-9, which has around 17,000 codes, medical coders have experienced a decrease in productivity. Before ICD-10 launched, it was anticipated that productivity would drop by 50%. This one change has greatly increased the demand for medical coders. Because of this increase in need, remote medical coder jobs have risen in availability dramatically in recent months.f you would like to be placed in a remote medical coding job,

contact Desert Medical Careers at (602) 468-6300.

The pros of remote medical coder jobs

Scheduling Freedom

If you were wondering, a remote medical coder job normally comes with schedule flexibility. This is awesome, and is the first thing most people think about when they think about working at home.

Bye Bye, Stuffy Office

Remote medical coder jobs are performed in your space, typically your home. This means that if you like having crazy loud music in the background to help you concentrate, you can have that all you want. Your home office means you get to set your surroundings up however you wish. Get ready to get cozy and forget that terrible fluorescent lighting.

Hello to Equipment You Like

You will probably have better work equipment than you would if you were in an office. Why? Because many times you are the one that has to provide it. So really, this is a pro and a con of remote medical coding jobs. You will need to confirm with your potential employer ahead of time what they require for equipment and if they supply you with equipment or if you supply your own.

Longer Vehicle Life and Lower Clothing Costs

You will save on wear and tear on your vehicle and your clothing because you won’t have to go into an office often. This means fewer miles on the vehicle per year and you don’t have to wear office attire on a daily basis, which saves on the size of your wardrobe and extends the life of your more formal shirts, skirts, and pants.

Food Costs Less

Working at home normally means you will save on food expenses because you will, as a remote medical coder, likely eat in your own home most work days and not eat out as much. And you won’t have to pack your lunch so you will save food prep time too.

You Have More Time for Your Personal Life

You will have more time to be off if you work from home. You will likely not have to get dressed up, commute to and from a location on a daily basis, and if you only want to take five minutes to grab lunch, you probably won’t have to take a full 30 minutes out of your day for lunch. All of these timesavers mean you will get hours back in your personal life.

More Quality Time with Your Kids

If you are a parent of humans or furry kids, you will get more time with them and feel more connected in your relationships with them. You can plan to be at your children’s after school games much easier and your furry kids get to be in your office every day. This one benefit is worth all the negatives that come with having a remote medical coding job.

Extra income!

Many remote medical coding jobs will let you work on a part-time basis, so if you would like to keep your full-time on-site medical coding job and earn more money when you are off, this is an option with many remote coding positions.

If you would like to be placed in a remote medical coding job, contact Desert Medical Careers at (602) 468-6300.

The cons of remote medical coder jobs

Help is Not Always There

Remote medical coder jobs are performed typically in your home office. While at first this might sound like a dream come true, think about this: You don’t have a medical coder sitting next to you that you can ask for help at a moment’s notice. This means you’ll have to rely upon support staff that may or may not be available when you are working to answer a question and this, especially when on a new assignment, can be an additional drain on productivity.

You Might Feel Like You are Never Truly “Off”

Yep. If you set up your home office in a place that isn’t cut off from the rest of your living space, you will kind of be living where you work. This can easily make you feel like you never, ever are truly away from your work, which can result in you feeling less satisfied with your job.

You Might Feel Like You are Never Truly “Off,” Part 2

Since remote medical coder jobs usually give you freedom to work when you want, a lot of remote workers end up feeling like they never have a full day off. Why? Because they don’t set up a normal working schedule that defines when you are supposed to be in your seat working and when you are absolutely not “allowed” to touch your work. This one thing is critical to survival when you work remotely; you must define your work schedule and stick to it. Don’t start late and don’t end late. Get your hours in during the hours you have designated as work hours and then stop working.

Meetings. You will still have them.

Depending on who has employed you and where you are geographically located, you might have to physically go to the meetings.

Life/Work Boundaries with Family and Friends Get Blurry

Since you’re home, you are now available for everyone’s phone calls and emergencies. And suddenly, there are more phone calls and emergencies than you ever knew were possible. When you have a home office, your friends and loved ones will know you are at home. And even though they know you have a job, it typically takes awhile to establish life/work boundaries. A word of advice if you are thinking about trying out a remote medical coder job: Run everything you do that takes you away from your work during your scheduled work hours through the same filter that you would if you were working in an office. It is a slippery slope when friends, family, and your children are tugging on your attention. Be patient with them and yourself when learning how to work from home; you are sure to be challenged until everyone learns that this, like other jobs, is a job even though you are located in your home to perform it.

Stricter Productivity Standards

Be aware that the powers that be will be watching your productivity closer than you are used to if you used to be an on-site medical coder. Your employer knows the temptations and distractions from work will be greater when you aren’t in a sterile office. Also, many people that don’t have face-to-face contact with their employers feel less accountable, so this frequently results in lower reliability and productivity. All of this means a remote medical coder employer will be watching your work far closer than traditional, in-office medical coders.

Technology Can Get in the Way of You Making Money

As a remote medical coder, you will need to connect to your employer’s system. This is usually accomplished through connections known as VPNs. Sometimes, the VPNs don’t work. And unlike when you are working on-site, if you can’t sign into the system, you might not get paid for the time you are sitting at your desk waiting for the system to come back online.

There is a Shady Side of Remote Medical Coder Jobs

Unfortunately, there are employers that are not going to treat you well and may not be operating ethically. To avoid this scenario entirely, work with a well-established healthcare job placement agency. If you can meet with the agency in person prior to accepting potential positions from them, all the better. For instance, Desert Medical Careers can place you in remote medical coder jobs throughout the United States, but they are based in Phoenix, Arizona. So if you live in the Phoenix area, you can physically visit the office. If possible, find out how long the employment agency has been in business and if they specialize in the healthcare industry, like Desert Medical Careers does.

Are You Looking for a Remote Medical Coder Job?

Desert Medical Careers has a high demand for remote medical coders. We are typically able to easily place remote medical coders in full-time and part-time positions. With over 20 years’ experience placing healthcare employees, DMC is an expert at matching healthcare workers with their ideal work environment. Contact DMC today at (602) 468-6300.